The hearing for Pfc. Bradley Manning’s confinement at Quantico, Virginia, entered its 10th day on Monday, according to The Associated Press. The prosecutors working the case are trying to prove that Manning did not use the opportunities he had to complain about his pretrial confinement conditions that he said were overly harsh. Manning is the lead suspect in the WikiLeaks case.
Testimony on Monday came from Chief Warrant Officer 2 Denise Barnes. Barnes served as the commander of the Marine Corps brig at Quantico during the three months that Manning was there. Also due to testify were Army officers who worked in the chain of command for Manning as he was locked up for 23 hours per day, at times with no clothing, for nine months.
The clothing restrictions were placed on Manning by the government in an effort to keep him from killing himself or hurting himself while being confined. The hearing is being held in order to determine if the conditions were illegal pretrial punishment. Manning has said multiple times that because the conditions he was held in were so harsh that all of the charges filed against him should be dropped.
Manning spent time at Quantico from July of 2010 to April of 2011. He was then transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a medium-security confinement. While at Quantico, Manning was listed as suicide watch or injury-prevention status, which come with heavier restrictions.
In the case, the government needs to prove that officials at the brig justifiably believed that the heavy restrictions on Manning were necessary in order to prevent him from hurting or killing himself.